If you’ve been in the web design business for any length of time, you’ve probably asked yourself this question: Should I show my pricing on my website?
It’s a classic dilemma for freelancers and small studios alike — and something that I’ve often wondered about. When I first started my business, I thought it was pretty self-evident that I should display my pricing, so that’s what I did. Interestingly, a lot of my competitors didn’t. To me, that seemed like an opportunity to gain an advantage over others in the industry, so I created three website design packages (all built around WordPress). Those packages generated a lot of work, but people tended to gravitate towards the middle or lower price point. I sometimes wonder how much revenue I missed out on by not providing a quote. Of course, I saved about 3 hours on each project by not having to create a quote.
I’m now considering the pros and cons of adding pricing to my website, as I currently have what I’d call ‘pricing lite’ in place, along with an explanation of my service charges and hourly rate. Yet, I still had someone ask me about pricing in a recent inquiry, and they went on to ghost me (twice).
The Case For Showing Your Prices
1. You Eliminate the Tyre Kickers
This one’s pretty obvious. If you’re not publishing your prices, you may have engaged extensively with a lead and then found out they are extremely price-sensitive. By publishing your prices, you can filter out the people who were never going to be a good fit pricewise. It saves you from the endless “just curious” inquiries and those who are expecting a $500 website when your starting price is $2,500+.
By being upfront about your pricing, you’re setting expectations early. It’s honest, efficient, and respectful of everyone’s time — including your own.
2. You Attract the Right Clients
The clients who do reach out after seeing your prices are already comfortable with your pricing range. They’re not coming to haggle; they’re coming because they value what you offer, and the price is right. That means your sales conversations can focus on getting the job done, rather than justifying what you charge.
3. You Build Trust
Transparency breeds confidence. When you publish your prices (or at least starting prices), you’re signalling that you’re confident in your value and process. For many clients, especially those comparing multiple designers, that openness can be the deciding factor. I suspect this was what worked in my favour for many years when I had packages people could pick from, and when they contacted me, they were already two-thirds sold on using me as their web designer.
The Case Against Showing Your Prices
1. You Lose the Chance to Show Your Value
The biggest downside? You might lose the opportunity even to start a conversation.
Sometimes a potential client will see your price and click away without understanding what’s included, how much work is involved, or how much value you bring. If you’d had the chance to speak with them — to explain your process and results — they might have seen your pricing in a very different light. There’s also the ‘likeability’ factor – if you get to chat to them and they form an excellent first impression, that can sway them to spend more. The ‘I really want to work with this person’ factor.
2. Projects are Not Always Straightforward
When I had website packages on my site, I’d get some people wanting the package, but it turned out they actually needed something more customised. So I’d have to start again with them, and I’d lose some of the momentum, as they already had an expectation they’d be spending X amount with me, and I pretty much had to start again.
3. Competitors Can Undercut You
Let’s be honest — the web design industry is crowded. If you’re too transparent, competitors might use your published pricing as a benchmark to undercut you. While this shouldn’t stop you, it’s worth acknowledging as a possible side effect. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn’t seeing a lot of pricing online when I started, but that soon changed, and sometimes I was shocked at how little some people were prepared to charge.
Finding the Middle Ground
Many designers find a balance between transparency and flexibility by showing “starting from” pricing or package ranges. This gives potential clients a ballpark idea of cost — enough to filter out those who can’t afford your services — while still leaving room to tailor your proposal and demonstrate your value.
For example:
“Website design packages start from $2,795. Most clients invest between $3,500 and $5,000 for a custom site.”
That single line can save you dozens of unqualified leads while still inviting serious prospects to reach out and discuss their specific needs.
Final Thoughts
If you’re confident in your processes, your results, and your value, then being upfront about your pricing can strengthen your brand and attract better-aligned clients. However, if your projects are highly bespoke or you rely on the discovery call to build trust and demonstrate value, you might prefer to keep pricing flexible and focus on starting a dialogue instead.
Ultimately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, and like me, you might try out both options. At the end of the day, you’ll find what works best for your business model, your clients, and your confidence in your value.
Personally, I’m going to revisit my ‘good, better, best’ packages and give them a trial run for 2026.
